What do you think?
Rate this book
Pigs at Odds : Fun with Math and Games
The pigs are raring to go to the county fair to play games and win prizes. But no matter how many times Mr. Pig tries to win, the odds seem to be against him. Will his luck ever change, or will the Pigs cry "Wah wah wah" all the way home?
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
51 people want to read
About the author
Amy Axelrod
18Ìýbooks18Ìýfollowers Amy Axelrod is the author of many picture books, including The Pigs Will Be Pigs Math Series (Simon & Schuster).
Her debut novel, Your Friend in Fashion, Abby Shapiro (Holiday House 2011) was based on her childhood growing up in the 60's.
"Funny, lively, sensitive- a real winner! (Kirkus)
Amy's latest novel was co-authored with her son, David, who works in publishing.
The Bullet Catch:Murder by Misadventure (Holiday House 2015) is a Junior Library Guild selection.
Amy lives with her husband in New York's Hudson Valley in a house built in 1729. When she isn't writing, she's reading, baking, biking, bird-watching, or dreaming about all the places on her bucket list.
Her debut novel, Your Friend in Fashion, Abby Shapiro (Holiday House 2011) was based on her childhood growing up in the 60's.
"Funny, lively, sensitive- a real winner! (Kirkus)
Amy's latest novel was co-authored with her son, David, who works in publishing.
The Bullet Catch:Murder by Misadventure (Holiday House 2015) is a Junior Library Guild selection.
Amy lives with her husband in New York's Hudson Valley in a house built in 1729. When she isn't writing, she's reading, baking, biking, bird-watching, or dreaming about all the places on her bucket list.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 9, 2019
2. Pigs at Odds by Amy Axelrod: This book was very bright and colorful with pictures. I think it would intrigue any child just because of the illustrations. The words are easy and the amount of sentences on the pages are small. It says the book has math games inside but there are no numbers or math involved in the actual story. At the end of the book the book explains what probability is which is what the book is about, and has a math question underneath the explanation, but the book was just a regular story. It was a good story for a child, but no math is actually done within the story. I enjoyed the read.
October 29, 2022
10/29/2022 ~ This book purports to teach about probability. However, it failed at that goal and the story did not stand alone - many of the events had to be filled in by inference that required significant background knowledge.
The backmatter included effective questions to stimulate thinking about probability, but it did not go on to explain the answers to the questions. Many children would need an adult to mediate the instructional message.
The backmatter included effective questions to stimulate thinking about probability, but it did not go on to explain the answers to the questions. Many children would need an adult to mediate the instructional message.
September 13, 2017
These books are just fun, and I love how they incorporate math!
March 15, 2018
The Pigs spend the day at the fair, and try their skill and luck at winning prizes. This book teaches about probability or the chance of something happening.
August 6, 2013
I've been looking for interesting and educational books that help teach math concepts for our girls, especially during the summer months. I discovered this book and really wanted to like it. I love the idea that it helps to show that the odds of winning a prize are different (and often stacked against you) at different carnival games.
But the execution of this book was so off. The narrative felt so disjointed that I had to keep checking to make sure I didn't skip a page. There were few explanations until the end of the book, but then it merely felt awkward to go back and analyze each page.
When I took another look at the book and really read the instructions at the beginning of the book, that was what the author intended. Read the story and then discuss each game and its probability of winning. This might work in a classroom, but it just felt awkward at storytime.
The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and the scenes certainly gave the ambience of a carnival or county fair. Our girls liked the story and the pigs, and I liked having yet another opportunity to show just what how much of a money waster those games can be. Overall, I would grade the book three stars for the educational concept, but two stars for the flow.
But the execution of this book was so off. The narrative felt so disjointed that I had to keep checking to make sure I didn't skip a page. There were few explanations until the end of the book, but then it merely felt awkward to go back and analyze each page.
When I took another look at the book and really read the instructions at the beginning of the book, that was what the author intended. Read the story and then discuss each game and its probability of winning. This might work in a classroom, but it just felt awkward at storytime.
The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and the scenes certainly gave the ambience of a carnival or county fair. Our girls liked the story and the pigs, and I liked having yet another opportunity to show just what how much of a money waster those games can be. Overall, I would grade the book three stars for the educational concept, but two stars for the flow.
December 2, 2012
This book is so cute! I love the pictures and it is a great book to use while teaching math! It talks about probability, money, you could use it to talk about the different shapes that are in all of the pictures. I think it would be really cute to read this book and then the next day have the whole class set up like an actual carnival and have different stations like a bean bag toss or something and they can learn about the different concepts in the book. I would have a concession stand where they can use fake money that they have earned or tickets from getting correct math answers or something like that... there are so many cute ideas that could be done using this book!
March 5, 2012
This is a book that helps young learners to connect as they learn about probability. During the read-aloud, the children can calculate the probability of the pigs winning each game at the fair. The book is an easy read for young learners in the earlier grades and helpful in math for children in grades 3-5. I would also use this book during a reading workshop.
March 27, 2012
This gets an extra star because of its math integration. The Pig family is at a carnival. As they play the various games, we try to track the probability behind them. An introductory note suggests reading through the story first, then going back and solving the problems. Grades 4+ The problems are a good challenge. The story is fun with silly illustrations.
April 18, 2012
Story the teaches students about probability- such as "flipping a coin". Great for younger readers from 1st- 2nd grade. The text is very engaging with bright colors as well as a plot that takes place at a carnival! Math games/extensions are located in the back of the book for interactive activities.
July 19, 2012
After reading this book aloud to my students, I would use it to teach them about probability. I will have several math centers that are carnival games such as ring toss, balloon pop, and a fishing game. I will have the students predict the probability that they will win and record how many games they actually win. Afterwards, I will have the students compare their data in small groups.
July 8, 2012
Pigs At Odds teaches kids about understanding probability through the pig's adventures of trying to win games at the county fair. This would be great to use at a reading workshop because students can help solve the probability a each game they try and win. This would also be good for upper level elementary.
July 16, 2012
This book is all about probability. I would do 3 small carnival-like games in the class room (like ring toss) and have each student estimate how many times out of 5 they think they will 'win' the game. Then students will rotate through the games in a group and record how many times they 'won' the game. Students will compare data to estimations and discuss their findings with the class.
Read
July 17, 2012This book is a fun game all about probability. You know it is fun because it is right there in the title. I would allow the allow the students to select their favorite activities and use them in a class lesson. We could predict what we believe the outcome would be and the likelihood of our prediction coming true.
April 13, 2013
This fun story is about a family of little pigs that take their chances one day at the carnival. They are super excited about going and playing games. The parents of the little kiddie pigs help them use spend their money wisely throughout the day. This book is great for introducing probability and money. It helps children understand both concepts easily by using a real life scenario.
April 12, 2011
Mr. Pig visits the county fair. He plays games and tries to win but the odds are against him! He cannot win for anything! Will his luck ever change? This is a great book to teach math concepts such as odds of getting something.
April 22, 2012
This is a great book to teach probabilities. The pigs are going to the fair and want to win certain items. This helps student connect self to text if they have been to the fair before and gives real life like examples if they have not. I would recommend for grades 3-5.
March 9, 2013
Students: pre-k through 4th grade
Concepts taught:
- probability ( flipping a coin)
- money
-shapes
Great book to revolve around centers!
* Carnival theme!
Centers:
Money management
Treasure store
This story provides a fun look on math. The pigs are having a blast at a carnival!
Concepts taught:
- probability ( flipping a coin)
- money
-shapes
Great book to revolve around centers!
* Carnival theme!
Centers:
Money management
Treasure store
This story provides a fun look on math. The pigs are having a blast at a carnival!
April 16, 2013
This is another fun book to use during a unit about money. The little pigs go off to the carnival and have to use money and probability to have fun and ride the different rides. It's a fun and silly book that kids will enjoy reading.
July 2, 2013
This book was ok. I didn't really like to way the pigs looked for some reason. It would be a good book to introduce probability. Make sure to read the signs. You could make some math problems out of them.
April 12, 2011
The pigs head to carnival and have to use math to have fun. This is a fun way to teach math to kids.
Read
November 15, 2011a fun book with many different math concepts such as length , time , counting .
April 10, 2012
The pigs are going to a fair. They are trying to find the probabilities of winning. Students can read this book to learn about probabilities. Grades 3-5.
July 4, 2012
This book would be great to use when teaching your 2nd-5th grade students about probability. You can also extend this lesson into turning your probability solutions into fractions with your students.
Read
May 1, 2018This is a good mentor text to use when discussing probability and the likeness of achieving something.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.